CibbuanoResearchers turn flies into homosexuals
December 16th 2007 18:56
The argument against genetic factors is, if homosexuality is genetic, should it be naturally selected out of our population?
Perhaps the question is much more complicated... in a bizarrely interesting experiment, researchers at the University of Illinois managed to switch fruit flies from straight to gay... and then back again!
From the article:
"Scientists in the US found that a mutation in a gene known as “gender-blind”, or GB, can make flies bisexual, and that manipulating its activity can switch this sexual trait on and off."
The scientists managed to do this with both drugs and genetic tinkering. What are the implications of this?
"The findings, from a team based at the University of Illinois, suggest that homosexuality has a clear biological basis, but that this is not necessarily hard-wired by the genes. A combination of genetic and environmental factors seems to be required."
Whoa!
A combination... people have been suggesting this for years, but the research shows an interesting experimental validation... especially since the flies were switched to gay and then back again.
Of course, there's the danger of angry crowds demanding that a 'cure' be made for humans... or the army investigating the use of this concept as a chemical weapon.
Oh, that's ludicrous, is it?
They already tried to make a gay bomb, it seems.
*this image is from this Wikipedia page
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Comment by Ahmed
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On the matter of fruit flies, meh, sure there's a biological element to homosexuality but honest to god I'm sick and tired of 'well such and such animal did such and such indicating homosexuality is natural'. Something as complex as sexual orientation cannot be taken from animals and directly or even indirectly applied to humans.
We're too friggin intelligent to be given such a low position as animals, I mean it started off with monkeys but now fruit flies? They don't even have any sort of brains to begin with.
This 'research' doesn't prove anything, just proves the inanity of finding a natural cause for homosexuality in humans through animals.
Comment by tlcorbin
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I found the post amusing Cibbuano.
,
it figures: a plan that only the military would conceive. Raven
Comment by Cibbuano
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Raven, some retired general was probably cackling away at the idea of a gay bomb...
Comment by Ahmed
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Comment by Damo
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Comment by postmoderncritic
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I wouldn't be surprised if it's both nature and nurture, but I def. think nurture is there, even more prominent, perhaps.
Comment by Eva W.
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As far as human homosexuality goes, I am quite sick of this genes-versus-nurture debate, because recent research actually suggests that it's NEITHER genes nor nurture, but hormones.
Yes, hormones. (I have recently read two articles in the press about these findings.)
Apparently, hormone levels that affect the baby while it's still in the womb determine the future sexual orientation of that baby. The simple reason is that hormones have the power to "feminise" or "masculinise" the embryo's developing brain and thereby permanently change its fundamental structures. (Hormones administered later in life cannot undo these effects.)
Therefore, "incorrect" hormone levels in the mother's womb produce gay children (e.g. the male embryo receives too much estrogen before his brain is fully developed).
For some reason, this explanation seems to make a lot of sense and I am inclined to believe it.
And for all those people who assume that it can only be genes or upbringing, have fun arguing over this for the next one thousand years...
Comment by Stanley